Family Devotion: Easter

Family Devotion: Easter Sunday, 2020

Songs by Rick & Ivey (filmed by Cassia): “Beautiful Cross” & “He Came Arisin’”

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Highland’s Welcome

Let’s read together.

TO ALL WHO ARE WEARY AND NEED REST

TO ALL WHO MOURN AND LONG FOR COMFORT

TO ALL WHO FEEL WORTHLESS AND WONDER IF GOD CARES

TO ALL WHO ARE WEAK AND FAIL AND DESIRE STRENGTH

TO ALL WHO SIN AND NEED A SAVIOR

THIS FAMILY OPENS WIDE HER DOORS WITH A WELCOME FROM JESUS CHRIST

THE MIGHTY FRIEND OF SINNERS THE ALLY OF HIS ENEMIES

THE DEFENDER OF THE INDEFENSIBLE

THE JUSTIFIER OF THOSE WHO HAVE NO EXCUSES LEFT

WELCOME

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Family Devotion: Easter

Happy Easter, Highland! If you recall, our devotion that was offered last Sunday was called: “The Cost of the Cross.” In conjunction with Communion, we were challenged to ask ourselves if the cross has conquered our lives: our rights and our self-effort. Realizing that there is no way that we can earn our salvation or clean ourselves up enough to make God right with us, we turn our eyes to the cross of Christ Jesus. At that cross, we encounter Him willingly laying down His life for us. He took upon Himself all of our sin: our pride, our demands, our anger, our manipulation, our shortcomings and He bore it all upon that cross.

DISCUSS

Dwelling upon the power of the cross, discuss one area of your life that you are grateful that the cross has paid for and conquered.

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Today, as it is Easter, we start this devotion by asking ourselves why Jesus endured the ‘cost of the cross.’ As Carrie and I were talking about the book of Hebrews, which I am reading through right now, she reminded me of a passage that explains why Jesus endured the high, high cost of the cross. You’ll find the passage in Hebrews 12. It reads:

“Therefore, since we also have such a large cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us lay aside every weight and the sin that so easily ensnares us. Let us run with endurance the race that lies before us, keeping our eyes on Jesus, the source and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that lay before Him endured the cross and despised the shame and has sat down at the right hand of God’s throne.”

— Hebrews 12:1-2, HCSB

There it is: Jesus endured the price of the cross because of the joy laid before Him. Jesus pressed into submission and obedience, even to the point of death on a cross, for the joy of glorifying His Father in heaven and imparting salvation to those who repent and submit to His Lordship. In His name, our debt of sin is paid and our shame is removed. It was His greatest joy to restore the relationship that had been severed by sin, and to bring us unbroken fellowship with His Father.

Being someone who wrestled for years with personal shame because of my sin and disobedience, I (Rob) greatly rejoice that Jesus has delivered me from my feelings of shame and given me a restored relationship with my God. As I turn my eyes more and more from my shame and keep my eyes more and more on Jesus, I now live in freedom from shame, and in unbroken fellowship with the One who knows every part of me, and still chooses to show me abundant, unwaivering compassion. It was the beauty of Christ that surpassed and conquered the ugliness of my shame, and it was the joy of Christ to endure the cross that restored my relationship to the Father. All praise to the One who paid it all!

DISCUSS & PRAY

1. What have you wrestled with that, at times, causes you to feel like you cannot belong to God or that He would not want you because of your sin?

2. When you repent, do you believe that Jesus offers you abundant compassion?

3. Because of what Jesus has done on the cross, do you believe that God does love you?

David writes: “Be gracious to me, God, according to Your faithful love; according to Your abundant compassion, blot out my rebellion. Wash away my guilt and cleanse me from my sin” - (Psalm 51:1-2).

Stop & pray: Offer the Lord gratitude in your hearts and homes that the cross of Christ removes the stain of sin from our lives and offers us unbroken fellowship with our Father.

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Highland, I want us be able to delight in both the beauty and cost of the cross, because we understand that it leads to a resurrecting-power in our lives. The sins that once so easily entangled us, no longer have command over us. Easter causes us to rejoice in the cross because the cross leads to the resurrection! Without the sacrifice of the cross, there is no joy. Without the letting go of our rights, there is no receiving the fullest pleasures of God. It is my desire that each of us would see that the beauty and cost of the cross is far superior to any fleeting feeling sin could offer us. It is also my desire that each of us would run with endurance the race set before us because we are confident of the victory that is ours in the end.

Returning to the the top of this passage in Hebrews, understand that you and I are an extension of that ‘great cloud of witnesses’ - meaning that we are to encourage those around us to let go of the sin that so easily entangles, and to press on for something far greater. We are to press on to know Christ and the power of His resurrection! In our pressing on, we are called to love one another, hold one another accountable, speak courage into one another, and offer our strength to others who are weak and are failing. We set every sin and temptation aside and we fix our gaze solely on Jesus, so that we can know Jesus and the power of His resurrection! To do so, renders glory to the name of Jesus, leads to His rightful worship, and offers good to those in our lives!

REFLECT & DISCUSS

In closing, let us ask ourselves these questions and then discuss as needed?

1. Are you keeping your eyes fixed on Jesus in this season of uncertainty?

2. Are you choosing to flee from the temptation of sin because you find greater delight in your relationship with Jesus?

   3. What is an area in your life where you have experienced Christ’s resurrecting power? This could be a relationship or circumstance or desire in your life that was dead, waste, and/or ruined, and Christ brought it back to life through His power.

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Kids, this 30 minute show helps to teach you all about the events leading up to Jesus being crucified and His resurrection. Superbook videos are some of Luke and Jude’s favorite.

*Sourced by: Superbook

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We love you, Highland.

Rob & Carrie

It's Friday but Sunday's Coming.

Midweek Devotion

Highland, for our Midweek Devotion this week, Jesse Shelby reads from Galatians and sings for us a song of his entitled: “New Day Comin’”. The song calls us to realize that there is a season for everything and to ‘not grow weary in doing good’ in this strange season - cause there is a new day comin’! So now, let us reap what is good in the eyes of the Lord, so, in that new day to come, we may harvest glory for our Lord and good for one another.

Following him leading us through a devotion, he and many Highland-Tribe members recently took part in the Shelby Brothers’ Silvan Session Live Recording. In this recording, you’ll be rewarded with a set of ear-pleasing Gospel-standards. I hope you enjoy!

Midweek Devotion: April 8th, 2020

Put together by Jesse Shelby

“Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.”

— Galatians 6:8-10, NIV

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COFFEE & CONVERSATION

Highland, everyday afternoon at 3pm, I have a cup of coffee. I want to invite you to join me for: Coffee & Conversation. We will do a conference call using Google Meet this Friday afternoon, at 3pm. To join the call, please enter your email address into the form below. Once you sign up, then I will send you an invitation to the call that will include the code you need to use to join the conversation. You will either need to be at your computer or on your phone at that time to join the conversation. I am looking forward to being together!

- Rob

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Carrie has written a blog for our women, since our women are unable to meet tonight. Check out the post below:

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Highland, I am reading through Hebrews right now. Consider cracking open your Bibles and reading along with me. I see us in this book at a time in the future. Know that I miss you and that I rejoice over having you in my life.

Rob

To the Women of Highland Community Church

Good morning, ladies! Today is the 2nd Wednesday of the month, so normally we would be gathering tonight to share life with one another through a meal and through God’s word. Due to the unpredictable circumstances we will be unable to meet, but I still wanted to reach out to all of you for 2 reasons.

The first reason is simply to say, I love you! What joy each of you has brought to my life. Some of you have been here since the beginning (hard to believe we are going on 15 years!!!) and some of you I have come to know more recently, but all of you have been such a joy to me and I honestly consider it an honor to have the opportunity to “do life” with you.

The second reason is to share with you where the Lord has had me the last few days. As I often say during communal prayer and women’s bible study, my hope is to just take each of you where the Lord is taking me. The delivery of what I share is often a bit “unrefined”, because over the last several years I have been sharing from the current overflow of my heart rather than from a more well-thought out and “refined” message. Not that I am opposed to a well thought, refined message, but that’s just not the current spiritual season for me. So let me go ahead and tell you that this letter won’t be any different…haha! I always pray the Lord will use what is said (or in this case, what is read) to bring honor to Him, despite my delivery! I pray this morning, the same will be true. So for today, I will share with you one challenging thought the Lord has recently put before me.

A continuing reflection on Psalm 27

Yesterday, I was once again reading and praying through Psalm 27. I was meditating on David’s desire for one thing: ‘to dwell in the house of the Lord.’ As I was meditating on that thought, I began to rejoice that as New Testament believers we no longer have to go find God’s presence. Once we have encountered salvation, our bodies become the temple. God’s Spirit is no longer something we have to search for or find, because His Spirit is now dwelling, abiding, resting, married to, each of us! As I continued to think about the Old Testament tabernacle versus my body now being the temple, I began to reflect on what happened to the Old Testament tabernacle every time God’s Spirit rested on it. Exodus 40:38 says, “For the cloud of the Lord was over the tabernacle by day, and there was a fire inside the could by night, visible to ALL the house of Israel throughout all the stages of their journey.” This verse led me to pray that my life would be like the Old Testament tabernacle, filled with the blazing fire of the presence of Jesus Christ! So often, we think of the presence of God as being “this little light of mine”, but God’s presence is no “little light”. It is a blazing, consuming fire (Hebrews 12:29)! Exodus 40:38 says that ‘ALL of the house of Israel could see it.’ If the fire was big enough for thousands upon thousands of Israelites to see, then it must have been a huge, blazing fire. And when did the Israelites see the fire? During the night. As I meditated on that thought, all I could pray was “Lord, take me into the darkest places so that the blazing fire of Your presence within me can be seen by ALL! Send me into the darkest places so that those who are lost, blind and hopeless would see the blazing, fiery presence of the Lord Jesus Christ and be delivered from the dark of night into Your marvelous light!”. As I was praying, suddenly I remembered a poem that I used to pray when I moved to Chicago in 2003. I prayed it almost daily while I was there. The poem is called, Make me Thy Fuel, Flame of God, by Amy Carmichael. It reads:

Make Me Thy Fuel, Flame of God

From prayer that asks that I may be,

Sheltered from winds that beat on Thee.

From fearing when I should aspire,

From faltering when I should climb higher.

From subtle love of softening things,

From each choices, weakenings;

Not thus are spirits fortified,

Not this way went The Crucified.

From all that would dim the work of Calvary,

O God, deliver me!

Give me Your love that leads the way,

The faith that nothing can dismay.

The hope no disappointments can tire,

A passion that burns like fire!

Let me not sink to be a clod,

Make me Thy fuel, Flame of God!

Ladies, may that be the prayer overflowing from all of our hearts! May our hearts cry out, ‘make ME thy fuel, flame of God!’

Take time to think/dwell/ponder on this question: What are the dark places God is calling me to?

Dark places are often intimidating because they are unpredictable and leave us feeling vulnerable. But remember, you have the consuming fire of the Living God within you! You were made to go into the darkest of places and were meant to go there with boldness and confidence, not in your own abilities, but in the confidence of the saving power of Jesus Christ. Remember what David says in Psalm 27:5. “For You God will conceal me in Your shelter in the day of adversity; You will hide me under the cover of Your tent.” David realized that His desire to be in the presence of the Lord was not only His greatest good, but also His greatest safety and security. Exodus 40 mentions that when the cloud covered the tent by day, not even Moses could enter the tent. If Moses, who was considered righteous, couldn’t penetrate the thick presence of the Lord, then how much less opportunity do the wicked have at penetrating the presence of the Lord that surrounds your life? We need not fear going into the darkest places because the glory of the Lord’s presence surrounds us with favor like a shield (Psalm 5:12).

Ladies, know that I love you and that I am praying for you. Whatever dark place or dark situation the Lord is calling you to, be obedient to His leading. He is the God who has the power to deliver anyone at anytime from places of deep darkness. I will close by writing a portion of Isaiah 9. This was also how the Lord brought my time of prayer to an end yesterday. I pray it encourages your soul as much as it did mine.

“Nevertheless, the gloom of the distressed land will not be like that of former times…the people walking in darkness have seen a great light (a blazing flame); a light has dawned on those living in the darkest places. You have enlarged Your nation (Your kingdom) and increased its joy. The people have rejoiced over You as they rejoice at HARVEST time…for You, Jesus, shattered their oppressive yoke” (Isaiah 9)!

I love you,

Carrie

From our Streets, This Cross Declares ‘Christ Risen’!

Jesus has taken away the sting of death by way of the cross. He overcame death through His resurrection that we might live! All praise and honor to the name above every name, Jesus!

View fullsize

Beverly Thornton’s Cross

Family Devotion: Communion

Family Devotion, April 5th, 2020

Captain America reads our Church’s Welcome.

Songs: “It is Well” & “Blessed be Your Name”

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Highland’s Welcome

Let’s read together.

TO ALL WHO ARE WEARY AND NEED REST

TO ALL WHO MOURN AND LONG FOR COMFORT

TO ALL WHO FEEL WORTHLESS AND WONDER IF GOD CARES

TO ALL WHO ARE WEAK AND FAIL AND DESIRE STRENGTH

TO ALL WHO SIN AND NEED A SAVIOR

THIS FAMILY OPENS WIDE HER DOORS WITH A WELCOME FROM JESUS CHRIST

THE MIGHTY FRIEND OF SINNERS THE ALLY OF HIS ENEMIES

THE DEFENDER OF THE INDEFENSIBLE

THE JUSTIFIER OF THOSE WHO HAVE NO EXCUSES LEFT

WELCOME

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Our Communion Devotion: The Cost of the Cross

Discussion Questions

(These questions follow the video.)

1. We started our time of communion by reading Psalm 23. Psalm 23:6 states, “Only goodness and faithful love will pursue me all the days of my life.” Would you say that has been true of your life and your family’s life? Give an example of what that the goodness and faithful love of God has looked like in your family.

2.One of the questions we reflected on for the devotion leading to communion was, “has the cross of Christ ever conquered me?”

We referred to Philippians 2 as the example of what a conquered-life looks like. Philippians 2:6-8 states, “(Jesus) did not consider equality with God as something to be used to His own advantage, but instead, He emptied Himself of His rights…humbled Himself and became obedient to death.” - What has “giving up your rights” looked like in your relationship with the Lord?

If you are a parent and your children are with you, ask them if there has been a time when they have chosen to be obedient to Jesus, even when it was hard for them.

3. Carrie gave an example using her own life of how she was saved at 6, but wasn’t faced with “the cost of the cross” until she was 26. When did you encounter the “cost of the cross”? What were the circumstances surrounding your life at that time?

4. We closed our time circling back to Philippians 2 and talking about submission. Carrie said, “it’s not your effort that releases the power of the Holy Spirit in your life, it’s your submission.” Philippians 2:13 states, “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purposes.” Describe a time when you have submitted and, as a result, experienced the power of God creating in you the desire and the ability to be obedient.

Pray

End your time by reading and praying Philippians 2:1-18 out loud over your family. Ask the Lord, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to make this passage the defining marker of your family.

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Kids. check out this video that explains how obeying helps you! When you delight to do the right thing from your hearts, then that the is the Lord causing His will to work through you. Why? Because His Word tells us to obey our parents and His Holy Spirit causes us to desire to do what is right. Philippians 2:13 states, “For it is God who is working in you, enabling you both to desire and to work out His good purposes.”

DISCUSS

What’s your favorite part of the video? What’s one thing you learned from it?

What are some rules you have to follow at school?

What are some rules parents have to obey?

What book tells us to obey our parents? In your own words, explain how obedience protects us?

*Borrowed from pursuegodkids.org

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We love you, Highland.

Rob & Carrie

We Hold Communion Tomorrow.

Highland,

Due to it being a first Sunday, we will hold Communion tomorrow. We will issue a video that will carry you and your family through Communion then, in the post, we will have the passages and the discussion questions included. Please feel free to use whatever you have on hand for Communion or take this chance to go out and grab the needed items (bread and juice).

MercyMed Needs Volunteers

Highland,

Our friends at MercyMed are offering COVID-19 testing to our city Friday, April 3 - Monday, April 6, and they are in need of volunteers.

MercyMed's objective is to screen and test residents for COVID-19 to decrease our risk of continual community transmission. Important information is needed in order to protect others from those who are COVID positive, and ultimately decrease the burden of disease on local hospital systems.
This is a great opportunity to serve your neighbor, and they would be thankful for our support! They urgently need people to help with traffic flow, communication to patients (with no exposure), data entry, and support.

If you are interested in helping, please complete the initial information below. MercyMed will contact you directly with more details including virtual training and shift assignment. You can contact Billy at 706-326-6125 with any questions.

*Note. No one under 18 or over 60 will be allowed to volunteer. All protective gear will be provided, and we will take every measure to make sure no one is exposed to COVID-19.

Above all, let us join together in prayer over these days of testing - for the MercyMed staff, volunteers, city-wide healthcare workers, and all those who are sick and in need of healing.

If you feel that you are in need of being tested, please see the link below for instructions.

Midweek Devotion

Highland,

Billy and I tag-teamed this week’s Midweek Devotion! Check out this video below. Highland, know that we love you and we deeply, deeply care for you. If you need us, contact us!

Midweek Devotion, April 1st, 2020

Song: “Never Let Go”, Matt Redman

““Lord, I seek refuge in You;
let me never be disgraced.
Save me by Your righteousness.
Listen closely to me; rescue me quickly.
Be a rock of refuge for me,
a mountain fortress to save me.
For You are my rock and my fortress;
You lead and guide me
because of Your name.””

— Psalm 31:1-3

I love you,

Rob

Carrie & Megan, Thank You!

Proverbs 31:20 “Her hands reach out to the poor, and she extends her hands to the needy.”

This passage accurately describes these women here! Megan and Carrie have worked diligently to care for our church and neighbors, in honor of our Lord. They have been leading the charge with our food distribution effort throughout this quarantine. Highland, we are so blessed to have them as part of our tribe.

Rob